The Odd One Out
by EmilyXionLuxor
Summary: The sorting hat doesn't make mistakes but it can overlook things. There is a fine line between being brave and being cocky and egotistical.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Xion

I watched as droplets of ice fell quickly to the ground below. Snow had fallen for ten days straight so now all the sky had left to give us was ice. I hated the cold. In fact, in the winter, I rarely went outdoors, not that the non-insulated castle walls provided much warmth. I pushed my breakfast plate away. It didn't matter if I ate or not because here I was just another face among the crowd.

Hogwarts: A living hell. Sure, you'll hear some people swear by it but not me. I saw it as a land of oppression with no opportunity to do anything great. Still, it was better than the alternative, a small, rundown, and overcrowded orphanage on the boarder of the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands. If you compared Hogwarts with hell it was only fair to compare that place to rooming with the devil himself.

So caught up in my thoughts and the ice, I failed to notice the shadow nearing me. A warm hand placed itself on the back of my head, grabbing some hair so I couldn't move away. It slammed me down into the table. The crack silenced the rest of my house. They watched some confused but most glaring as I pushed myself up. The end of a gold and red scarf was all I was able to catch as my attacker exited the hall but that was all I needed. I only knew one Gryffindor who would pull a stunt like that. I ran after it. The whole hall was now hushed and several students followed after me. They stopped in the doorway to watch the bloodshed from a safe distance.

"Marcis" I growled. The cocky seventh year turned a very proud grin on his face. I didn't give him time to make some egotistical remark. I jabbed my fist into his stomach. As he bent over, I pulled back my elbow and let it slam into his face. He stumbled back, feeling his nose. His fingers had traces of the freshly drawn blood and, like a bull seeing red; it sent him into a rage.

"You are so dead, Romania," He ran at me but I stepped to the side with ease, sticking a leg out to trip him. As he fell, a chorus of laughter came from the doorway. One sharp look for Marci shut them up. He stood again and charged. Instead of avoiding him, I took a stance and stood my ground.

My orphanage was overcrowded so the way they dealt with bad behavior was fairly creative. If you misbehaved you were sent to live on the streets for at least a week most likely more. I tended to find my way into trouble one way or another so I spent more time on the streets then in the actual orphanage. I learned pretty quickly how to survive. Unfortunately for me, pure blood Cantabious Marcis's parents were worried about him going away from home so they spent countless pounds on only the best fighting instructors to insure their 'little ray of sunshine' would be safe. Needless to say, we would have been fighting for a while if it wasn't for the hand which pulled me off him by the scruff of my neck.

"What is with people grabbing me while my back is turned today?" I attempted to escape the grip of my capture but the stern hiss of a silence made me freeze. I knew that voice.

"And just what do you two think you're doing?" This voice belonged to the elderly lady dressed up in green who rushed to Marcis now that I was contained. He denied her help, stating he could do it himself as he stood.

"Sir Marcis, go back to your dormitory and a nurse will be sent to you at once. Once your wounds are tended to we will discuss your punishment." It was the monotone figure which held a firm grip on the back of my neck that addressed him now. Marcis began to argue but the woman pointed away and he obeyed. As he walked away, I noticed a small limp on his right side which hadn't existed before. I smiled knowing I was the cause of this ailment.

"Xion Dalous Romania,' I was let go when Marcis was out of sight, "How many times have we had this conversation? Why must you continue to pick fights with people of a higher social class then you?" I turned to face the two adults.

"I believe what Professor Snape is trying to say is you are aware of our no sparing outside of the classroom policy." McGonagall's voice sounded tired. I didn't blame her. She had given me this speech so many times; she had to be sick of it. They couldn't kick me out. Dumbledore would never allow that, he couldn't take the chance. What they could do was suspend me until further notice. Back to the orphanage, but still under Hogwarts rules. The Ministry along with Dumbledore would watch me even more than they already did just waiting for me to screw up again. I stood with my arms crossed and head down, waiting for my doom.

"As head of your house," Snape spoke, "I find it fit to make your punishment to aid Professor McGonagall during your free period for the rest of the school year."

"I have no argument with that," The lady professor nodded. My mouth dropped. The rest of the school year, it was only November. School didn't end until June, that was a whole seven months almost. I couldn't do that! Don't get me wrong, I like McGonagall immensely. She didn't push me to speak in her class and I did perfect on anything she gave me. What more could you ask for in a student-teacher relationship? However it was always McGonagall and Snape who caught me at my worst moments. I opened my mouth to fight back but Snape snapped first.

"Unless you would rather be sent away with no access to magic at all?" I winced at the thought and let out a long sigh as a form of agreement. I then turned and headed towards the hospital wing.

Another thing I hated about Hogwarts was the stereotypes. All Slytherins must be evil and all Gryffindor's mighty. Just as all Ravenclaws must be book nerds and all Hufflepuffs can be your best friend. It just wasn't always the case. I didn't start the fight, Marcis did when he attacked me. But who will the adults believe the rich "mighty" boy or the poor "evil" girl? The sorting hat doesn't make mistakes but it can overlook things. There is a fine line between being brave and being cocky and egotistical.

Three hours, twenty bruises, ten stitches, five gashes, one broken nose, and a bloody lip later, I was released and I was already late for my punishment.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Anna

I took my usual seat in transfiguration class in front of Land at the front of the room. She was buried deep in her books, no doubt cramming in a few more seconds of studying before the test. Typical Lane. She was very studious, always having to make the highest grade like such a nerd. I was allowed to say this for two reasons. The first reason was because she was one of my best friends. The second reason was I was the exact same way. Lane and I had been friends since our first day at Hogwarts. We were in a constant battle to be top in our year. This made our friendship a little rough but we always found a way past it.

I pulled her away from her studies and forced her into a conversation with me. It didn't last very long though because soon after the professor called the class to start. She passed out the test and I went straight to work. My quill moved like lightning. I knew this. I could do this. It was just another perfect score in the bag.

I was on the second to last question when it happened. The doors swung open and hit the wall. Like the rest of my class, I turned to investigate. In walked a girl with blood on her shirt and that was the only colorful thing about her both physically and emotionally. She was pale, her hair black and her eyes a dark grey. She kept a straight face as if she was not amused with any of us. She was a little smaller than average. It was hard to believe she could have used that much force. She was still bigger than me though. Within two seconds the comments started.

"Whoa! What the-"

"A sixth year, what is she doing here?"

"Wait that's the girl from this morning!"

"The monster that attacked the prince."

"She looks like she was hit by a truck."

"Poor truck."

With each row she passed a new comment surfaced. She had to hear the whispers; they were too loud for her not to. Nevertheless her face stayed straight. She took a seat in a desk by McGonagall's. She faced the crowd and gave them a glare. The whispers stopped and everyone went back to their papers. Small but powerful. This really was the girl from this morning.

The fight had been all everyone had been talking about since breakfast. It was between the 'Prince of Gryffindor' and some no name Slytherin. The fact she had beaten him to the ground was both surprising and a death wish. She was now everyone's worst enemy because they all loved the prince. I honestly didn't care. I was talking to Nathan when all of this was going down. We had been really close since the beginning of the school and I kept hoping he would ask me out. So far no such luck.

I forced myself to focus on the test. I would not allow this stranger to cost me my perfect score. Once I was done I looked over at her. Her hair was short, tucked behind her ear but it threatened to fall any second. Her eyes were dark but they seemed bright in a way. They stared off into the distance, not focusing on anything particular. A deep cut with tiny pieces of string holding it together raced across her cheek. It was evident that Cantabious hadn't given up easily. Neither had she which was made obvious by the blood stained band aid around her knuckles.

"Times up. Quills down. Xion please collect the papers and begin grading them,"

So she had a name. Xion, it was familiar but if I had met her before I would have remembered. Soon, she was in front of me. She reached out her hand for my paper. As I handed it to her, I offered a smile but she only met it with confusion. Oh well, I had tried. She moved on but as she placed my paper at the top of the stack I noticed something. The beginning, or maybe end, of what looked like a nasty burn mark on her arm. This was peculiar, very peculiar.

The professor began the lecture. It was quite hard to concentrate with that girl right in front of me. I always enjoyed a new subject and Xion was the most interesting one in the room. She sat at her desk, looking at papers and making marks where they were needed. A boring and mundane task to most people but she seemed to not mind it and it told me a lot about her. She was smart, not needing any outside references to check our papers. Also, Professor McGonagall must trust her knowledge if she was allowed to do this.

When she was done, she handed them to the professor, who flipped through them then nodded and handed them back, all without breaking from her lecture. Now that Xion was moving around I could focus on the lesion. It was on Animagus. These Animagus were witches and wizards who could turn into the creature of their Patronus. She made us clear of the many months it took of constant studying and failure before one could prefect it. She would know, she was one herself. Xion broke my concentration by handing me my paper back. It was a perfect score. I don't know why I had been worried it wouldn't be.

Now, with Xion back in her seat, she listened to the professor as intensely as I imagined Lane was. This must be her best subject but if she was already good at it, why bore herself with the lesson again? I guess anything was better than staring at a wall.

The rest of the class was uneventful and soon it was over. As I headed for the door, the professor spoke.

"Anna, come here for a moment."

I turned to Lane who shrugged, "I'll meet you outside."

I nodded and walked back. Xion was in front of the desk and she looked mad. She didn't acknowledge me as I stood beside her.

"Anna, do you still have free time after supper?" I nodded slowly, "Miss Romania has access to the restricted section and information that can help you with your studies. She will be joining you in the library from now on." I nodded again, not daring to argue. Xion stayed in front of her desk while I left.

What use could she be to me? She seemed smart, yes, but what information could she have that wasn't in a book? But if McGonagall though she could help me she probably could. I had to trust this.

Lane was waiting for me

"So?"

I shrugged, "That sixth year is going to be joining me in the library from now on,"

Lane stopped in her tracks and grabbed my sleeve, "You and Xion alone? Anna, why did you let McGonagall do this? One wrong move and you could end up in the infirmary for weeks. I've seen that girl before; I'm in the same house as her for god sakes. Trust me when I say she isn't stable."

I pulled away from Lane, "She seems fine to me. She is just quiet. I will be fine."

"You heard about Cantabious from this morning. And this wasn't just a onetime thing, remember Robert from last year?"

"The professor trusts her and she has information. Those are good enough reasons for me to chance an hour in the library with her."

I knew Lane was just trying to look out for me but she was letting gossip get to her head. So Xion punched a kid, that didn't completely define her character. No one at this school even knew her name, much less her back story. I was going to give her a chance before I made a decision on her. It was only fair. Besides, it could be interesting.


End file.
